Viral sensation Thomas 'Snacks' Lee of Jackson State named SWAC Player of the Week
The honor added to the rush of social media attention Lee's received since his on-court debut
Thomas "Snacks" Lee went from beloved team manager at his hometown Jackson State University to internet star in a day's span, and his wild week is continuing. The Southwestern Athletic Conference named Lee its Player of the Week after his brief-but-memorable appearance in the Tigers' last game went viral.
BREAKING NEWS: @GoJSUTigers deep range shooter Thomas “Snacks” Lee (@BigHomie_Tom) has been named #SWACMBB Player of the Week. The Jackson, Miss. native leads the league in social media views and is a legitimate scoring threat from virtually anywhere on the court #SWACHoops pic.twitter.com/xmY02y9oKq
— Southwestern Athletic Conference (@theswac) March 4, 2020
With 2:05 to go in Jackson State's Senior Night game Monday, Lee subbed in to a huge applause from the home fans. He gave them much more to cheer about later.
Lee took a pass on the right wing and shot a deep 3-pointer with 32 seconds left. Holding his follow-through as the ball soared through the air, Lee was unfazed by Jackson State's players raising their arms in anticipation. Then the shot sank in and he -- along with the crowd and bench -- erupted.
Never let anybody tell you what you “ can’t’ “ do. Stay Down and wait for your moment 💪🏾🥶 @espn @stephenasmith @BleacherReport @SportsCenter @HoHighlights @filayyyy @famouslos32 @KDTrey5 pic.twitter.com/XBp8g9kChX
— Thomas “Snacks” Lee (@BigHomie_Tom) March 3, 2020
Since hitting that shot, Lee's become an overnight star. He has over 4,500 Twitter followers -- and the number's rising by the minute. The video he posted of his 3-pointer currently has over 389,000 views, 1,900 retweets and 10,100 likes. Lee even earned "Play of the Day" honors from ABC's "Good Morning America."
"After the game, the fans showed mad love," Lee said via TMZ Sports. "My phone, from 10 a.m. last night to now, I had to keep my charger with me because it's just constantly going off."
Lee's shot -- and the team he hit it for -- culminated a lifelong dream. A Jackson, Mississippi, native, Lee spent his childhood around the Jackson State locker room. In fact, per the Undefeated, he got the "Snacks" moniker from players seeing him around and not knowing who he was -- other than him seemingly always having food.
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant, Lee's favorite player, tweeted his approval the day after the game, writing, "I see you snipe." Lee wears No. 35 in honor of Durant and told TMZ he calls himself "Fat Durant," adding "it was shocking he actually saw" his shot.
Lee showed his shooting range Monday. And Tuesday he proved he's got hops to match.
Aye my boy Snacks can dunk too. @BigHomie_Tom @BleacherReport pic.twitter.com/ElxJ6aMn22
— Darius Austin (@_DA2Trey) March 3, 2020
















